The use of elephant bones for making Acheulian handaxes: A fresh look at old bones

A taste of an elephant: The probable role of elephant meat in Paleolithic diet preferences

“…Special tools were made out of elephant bones and the animal was many times honored and sacred, most probably occupying a very special place in human cosmology. Therefore there were added attributes except, perhaps, its great taste (Barkai and Gopher, 2013;Lev and Barkai, 2015;Zutovski and Barkai, 2015). Although nutrition and the diet of different hominin species is a fundamental component of their life and survival, very little is known of the taste perceptions and dietary preferences of prehistoric humans.…”

Elephants are people, people are elephants: Human–proboscideans similarities as a case for cross cultural animal humanization in recent and Paleolithic times

“…The elephant and mammoth are represented in various mediums such as portable art, rock art (engraved and painted) and tools. As mentioned above, several modified elephant bones were shaped into items similar to typical Lower Paleolithic stone handaxes and might be seen as a cosmological linkage and mediation between the contradicting concepts of appreciation and consumption (Zutovski and Barkai, 2015). Representation of elephants and mammoth are widely documented in multiple Upper Paleolithic sites in Europe, both in portable art and in rock art.…”

“…It is probable that the avoidance of this restriction was also practiced during Lower Paleolithic times, and its symbolic-cosmological expression might be represented by the production of imitations of the Acheulian most significant cutting tool, the handaxe, made of bones of the consumed animal, the elephant (see Zutovski and Barkai 2015).…”

“…Biddittu et al, 1979;Dobosi, 2001Dobosi, , 2003Bruhl, 2003;Boschian and Sacca, 2010;Rabinovich et al, 2012;Beyene et al, 2013;Zutovski and Barkai, 2015) as well as the use of mammoth bones for the construction of Middle and Upper Paleolithic dwellings (Oliva, 1988;Pidoplichko, 1998;Iakovleva and Djindjian, 2005;Svoboda et al, 2005;Demay et al, 2012;Iakovleva, 2014).…”

Elephant and Mammoth Hunting during the Paleolithic: A Review of the Relevant Archaeological, Ethnographic and Ethno-Historical Records

“…[58][59]. While some scholars question the function of Clovis points as projectiles, as well as their role in proboscidean hunting [102], others point to a strong association between Clovis projectiles and proboscideans detected at several Clovis sites, implying that proboscidean hunting was a common trait during Clovis times [76].…”